-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Jurors in Portland , Oregon , awarded a former Boy Scout $ 1.4 million after finding Tuesday that the organization was negligent in allowing a Scout leader who was a sex offender to have contact with him .

The three-week trial ended with Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge John A. Wittmayer polling the jurors , who confirmed they had found the negligence contributed to damage to the plaintiff as claimed .

The jury ruled that the plaintiff is also entitled to punitive damages . That 's to be determined beginning Tuesday in the trial 's second phase .

How the Scouts handled the case of the former Scout leader , Timur Dykes , was at the center of the explosive lawsuit .

Attorney Kelly Clark , who has been representing six men suing the Scouts , would not discuss the case until after the punitive phase . Before the trial , he alleged that when his clients were boys during the 1980s , the organization knew that at least one of them had been abused by Dykes .

He also alleged that though Dykes was removed as a Scout leader , he was allowed to stay on as a volunteer and the abuse continued . CNN was not able to reach Dykes .

Clark produced documents that he said were part of an archive of previously secret Boy Scout files that chronicled decades of abuse of boys .

The Scouts ' lawyers said the organization had not known about Dykes ' record nor had it known about an outstanding warrant at the time .

Once the Scouts did learn about it , the organization acted immediately and cooperated with police , the Scouts ' lawyers said .

A Boy Scouts spokesman has acknowledged the organization does have confidential files , but said they are made confidential in order to protect people who are ineligible to be Scout leaders but who may not have done anything illegal .

A Scouts spokesman said that , in recent years , the organization has taken extensive measures to keep abusers out .

In a written statement , the Scouts said the organization intends to appeal .

`` We are gravely disappointed with the verdict , '' it said . `` We believe that the allegations made against our youth protection efforts are not valid . ''

It added , `` We are saddened by what happened to the plaintiff . The actions of the man who committed these crimes do not represent the values and ideals of the Boy Scouts of America .

`` The safety of the young people currently in the Scouting program has never been in question during these legal proceedings . The case focused on a discussion about what society and the BSA knew about child abuse approximately three decades ago .

`` This is a long-standing societal issue that every youth-serving organization must address . Based on the standard of care of that time , the BSA believes it acted responsibly and that the evidence presented during the trial does not justify the verdict . ''

While holding the Boy Scouts of America 60 percent negligent , the jury said the Cascade Pacific Council -- which oversees Scouting activities in the region -- was 15 percent negligent and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 25 percent negligent .

The church has sponsored a number of Boy Scout troops , including the one to which the plaintiff belonged .

Steve English , a lawyer representing the church , said Tuesday 's verdict has no impact on the church , since it settled the case out of court more than a year ago .

`` The church absolutely condemns any kind of child abuse , '' he said . `` Because of the way the law is set up in Oregon , we thought it made sense both to help the victim and also to get this behind the victim and us to settle this case . ''

CNN 's Brian Todd contributed to this story .

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How Scouts handled case of former Scout leader Timur Dykes at center of lawsuit

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Jurors in Portland award former Scout who had contact with Dykes $ 1.4 million

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On Tuesday , trial 's second phase to determine punitive damages in 1980s

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Spokesman : Scouts have taken extensive steps to keep abusers out in recent years